memeorandum: Trump's Challenge: Can His Word on Iran Be Trusted? (David E. Sanger/New York Times)

8:35 AM ET, September 18, 2019

Top Items:

John Bresnahan / Politico:

‘Feel free to leak this’: Inside the Pelosi-Nadler impeachment schism — In a closed-door meeting last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi stunned lawmakers and aides with a swipe at Democratic staff on the House Judiciary Committee. — Pelosi criticized the panel's handling of impeachment in harsh terms …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Fox News, Axios and Breitbart

Harry Litman / Washington Post:

Corey Lewandowski is the perfect model for a sustained Trumpian legacy — Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski took his tough-guy act to Capitol Hill Tuesday, putting on proud display the pro-Trump cowboy image he hopes to ride to a Senate candidacy.

Discussion: CNN, Daily Wire and Daily Kos

CNN:

Lewandowski hearing was a disaster — In this weekly column “Cross-exam,” Elie Honig, a CNN legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor, gives his take on the latest legal news. Post your questions below. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN.

Discussion: ABC News

Alexander Nazaryan / Yahoo News:

After hours of questioning Lewandowski, Democrats finally land punches — more than five hours of confrontational exchanges, but Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee finally managed to regain the narrative in their questioning of Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's former campaign manager …

Zachary Basu / Axios:

Corey Lewandowski: “I have no obligation to be honest with the media” — Under questioning from counsel Barry Berke during the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearing on Tuesday, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was forced to defend a video in which he appeared to lie to MSNBC host Ari Melber.

Discussion: Breitbart, Washington Post and Politico

Rick Wilson / gen.medium.com:
Corey Lewandowski Just Made the Democrats Look Utterly Bloodless

Discussion: The Hill and The Gateway Pundit

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
Nadler considering holding Lewandowski in contempt

Discussion: Politico, twitchy.com, POLITICUSUSA and Townhall

Tiana Lowe / Washington Examiner:
House Democrats fully earned and deserve Corey Lewandowski's trolling

Discussion: Raw Story, Occupy Democrats and twitchy.com

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
'I Wasn't Asked to Do Anything Illegal,' Lewandowski Says in Hearing

Discussion: Politico, The Boston Globe, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Post and RedState

New York Times:

Acting Intelligence Chief Refuses to Testify, Prompting Standoff With Congress — WASHINGTON — The acting director of national intelligence will not testify before Congress this week or immediately hand over a whistle-blower complaint to lawmakers, escalating a standoff between Capitol Hill and leaders of the intelligence agencies.

Discussion: Axios

Kel McClanahan / Just Security:

Q&A on Whistleblower Complaint Being Withheld from Congressional Intelligence Committees — On September 13, House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff publicly announced that he had issued a subpoena to Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Joseph Maguire because Maguire …

Discussion: Lawfare and Washington Post

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Schiff: Top intel official has refused to turn over ‘urgent’ whistleblower complaint

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

New York Times:

White House Fires Homeland Security Dept.'s General Counsel — WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday fired John Mitnick, the general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, after months of shake-up at an agency responsible for carrying out President Trump's immigration agenda.

Discussion: CNN, Heritage Foundation and U.S. Political News …

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:

Jimmy Carter says he couldn't have managed presidency at 80 — ATLANTA (AP) — Weeks shy of his 95th birthday, former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday he doesn't believe he could have managed the most powerful office in the world at 80 years old. — Carter, who earlier this year became …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, U.S. Political News … and Axios

Marc Caputo / Politico:

‘The ground is shifting’: Arizona emerges as a 2020 trouble spot for Trump — Arizona has long been touted as a potential swing state in the presidential election. Its time may have finally come. — Demographic shifts, progressive organizing efforts and President Donald Trump's potential weakness …

Owen Daugherty / The Hill:

Arizona Democratic Party will hold vote to censure Sinema — The Arizona Democratic Party is planning to hold a vote this week to determine whether Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) should be censured. — The Arizona Republic reports the censure vote is due to the fact that progressives …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Mark Murray / NBC News:

NBC/WSJ poll: Biden leads Dem 2020 field, Warren's support grows — While Biden dominates among more moderate Democrats and black voters, Warren overperforms among whites and liberals. — Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., continue to top …

Discussion: The Bulwark, Axios, CNN, Hot Air, National Review, Politico, POLITICUSUSA and Breitbart

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Arizona Republic:
Arizona progressives seek to censure Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema

Discussion: Fox News, Daily Kos and Washington Free Beacon

Wall Street Journal:

Campaign Wire: 2020 Election — Follow the latest from the campaign trail, as Democratic hopefuls compete for the right to face President Trump in 2020. — Updates — HIGHLIGHTS — Biden, Sanders Pitch Health Plans to Union Workers — Republican Kobach Trails Democat Grissom …

Ken Thomas / Wall Street Journal:
Biden, Warren Gain in Latest Poll of Democratic Primary Voters

Discussion: The Resurgent and Political Wire

Matt Bruenig / Jacobin:
Bernie Sanders Probably Won the WFP Membership Vote

Discussion: Washington Post and Vanity Fair

John Harwood / CNBC:
Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren separate themselves from the 2020 Democratic pack in new NBC/WSJ poll

Discussion: The Last Refuge

Trent Spiner / Politico:
Sanders campaign wracked by dissension

Discussion: Syracuse Post-Standard, The Week, VTDigger, Breitbart, Mediaite, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and POLITICUSUSA

Alene Tchekmedyian / Los Angeles Times:

Democratic donor Ed Buck arrested and charged with operating drug house — Prominent Democratic donor and LGBTQ political activist Ed Buck was arrested Tuesday and charged with operating a drug house, with prosecutors calling him a violent sexual predator who preys on men struggling with addiction and homelessness.

Discussion: Washington Post, Towleroad Gay News, CBS Los Angeles, The Week, Fox News, KTLA and Axios

Kabc / ABC7:

Democratic donor Ed Buck arrested on drug charges after new overdose at his West Hollywood home — LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Democratic donor Ed Buck, who has been subject to protests and calls for prosecution in the overdose deaths of two men at his West Hollywood home, was arrested Tuesday in connection with a third overdose, police say.

Discussion: New York Post, abc7NY, Townhall and Daily Wire

Steve Ganey / KTLA:
Dem Donor Ed Buck Arrested After 3rd Man's Overdose, Charged With Operating West Hollywood Drug House

Discussion: BizPac Review and The Gateway Pundit

Brett Bruen / NBC News:

Even if Iran attacked Saudi Arabia's oil field, Trump's responsible for the fallout — The dangerous downward spiral in the Middle East stems from the U.S. scrapping the Iran nuclear deal without a strategy in place. — Congratulations, Mr. President. It took an extraordinary effort …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Just Security, U.S. Political News … and The Week

Luis Martinez / ABC News:
Mike Pompeo heading to Saudi Arabia to ‘coordinate’ response to Saudi oil attack

Discussion: NBC News, New York Times and Vox

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Trump's Challenge: Can His Word on Iran Be Trusted?

Discussion: VICE, Washington Post and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Reuters: U.S. seeks U.N. action on Saudi attacks despite likely Russian opposition

Noah Rothman / Commentary:

Brett Kavanaugh Breaks the Democrats — Rarely does a story implode as spectacularly as the New York Times' latest effort to resurrect the claim that Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a teenage sexual predator. — By now, you know the facts: The Times published an excerpt from a forthcoming book alleging …

Discussion: American Greatness, CNN, Opinion Today, Common Dreams and Fox News

Haley Byrd / CNN: Pelosi and other Democrats say no to Kavanaugh impeachment

Kate Kelly / The Atlantic:
We Spent 10 Months Investigating Kavanaugh. Here's What We Found.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Federalist and Washingtonian

Aron Heller / Associated Press:

Netanyahu faces uphill battle after repeat election — JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's two main political parties were deadlocked Wednesday after an unprecedented repeat election, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing an uphill battle to hold on to his job.

Gil Hoffman / Jerusalem Post:
NETANYAHU-GANTZ STALEMATE: NO CLEAR WINNER IN SUPER-TIGHT ISRAELI ELECTION

Discussion: The Times of Israel, Haaretz, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Breitbart, Power Line, Raw Story and Mediaite

Savannah Behrmann / USA Today:

6 things to know about teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg — WASHINGTON — Teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg will be one of the witnesses to testify before a joint hearing of two House committees Wednesday on the “global climate crisis.”

Discussion: The Guardian, Washington Post and U.S. Political News …

Coral Davenport / New York Times:

Trump to Revoke California's Authority to Set Stricter Auto Emissions Rules — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is expected on Wednesday to formally revoke California's legal authority to set tailpipe pollution rules that are stricter than federal rules, in a move designed by the White House …

Jess Bravin / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Administration Looks to Supreme Court to Rein In Consumer Finance Agency — The CFPB was created under the Dodd-Frank Act in the wake of the mortgage-lending crisis — WASHINGTON—The Trump administration told the Supreme Court Tuesday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau …

Discussion: New York Times, Political Wire and Bloomberg

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

'He's not going to have Hillary Clinton sitting on her hands': Trump's uphill battle to hold Wisconsin — They hate Donald Trump's tweets. They worry about his temperament. They're still uncomfortable with the name-calling. — But many voters in Milwaukee's Republican suburbs like his court appointments.